Darrell Roy Conger

Today, two adult daughters, Lori Ann Robertson and Jill Lynn Riley, and an adult son, Brad Lee Conger, mourn the loss of their dad, Darrell Roy Conger; who — along with his wife of 52 years, Linda Doreen Conger — did everything they could to train up their three children, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, in the way of the Lord.

Darrell and Linda’s life together was a full one indeed. Both served a mission for their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the great state of Texas, from 1963 to 1965; when the whole state was one mission. Following this first of many, they continued their missionary work with Stake missions to Alabama, Oregon and a District mission to a serviceman’s district in Germany. The Gospel was their life’s work.

They married shortly after they were honorably released from their Texas mission, and Darrell started his first full time job with North American Aviation in El Segundo, Calif., where he started as a draftsman and later worked up to a senior draftsman on the Apollo Spacecraft. Some of his favorite stories are of him actually sitting in the “command module” of the ill-fated “Apollo 13” while it was yet under construction, and of attending a meeting when “space food” was given out to the workers at the plant so they could see what it was going to taste like.

Darrell and Linda lived mostly on the West Coast, starting with a little apartment in Long Beach, Calif. After Darrell joined the Army in 1966, Linda relocated to Portland, Ore., where she had been born and raised, and Darrell to basic training at Fort Polk, La.

Upon completion of basic training he was sent to Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for a yearlong training on the Army’s Nike Hercules radar and computer repair. He was so successful with his schooling that the Army kept him on to maintain the school’s equipment for another year. He came out of that school with the rank of Specialist E-4. Following his two years at Redstone, Ala., he was sent to Bitburg, Germany, for his last year in the Army. Some of the time while he was there his company was on 15 minute alert due to the threat of Russia invading Czechoslovakia and our need to step in and defend Germany’s border.

Darrell and Linda lived in a little town near the German/Luxembourg border, and the economy was so good that they could drive one half hour to a guest house (restaurant) and have a wonderful cordon bleu dinner for $1.50 each. Linda was able to accompany Darrell when he was sent to Germany, so it was like the honeymoon they never had. When the couple arrived back stateside, they took up residency in Portland, Ore.

Darrell had a number of career changes due the recessions of the ’80s and the loss of half their savings. He worked as a senior designer for Bingham Willamette Pump Company (the company that built the pumps that eventually saved the Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant from an even worse disaster than it was). Darrell switched disciplines again and went to work for IDC in the semiconductor industry with contracts to such notables as Intel, Hulett Packer and Ch2m Hill to mention a few.

In 1980, Darrell recognized the need to change the liberal bent of Portland and thought he could best do that from a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional District. A seat long held by Rep. Bob Duncan, who was again running unopposed. So in 1980, Darrell took off from work and ran. Due to the 2 to 1 majority held by the Dems, the seat was easily won by Ron Wyden in the general election, but Darrell put up a good fight along party lines.

With the election behind him, Darrell went to work for IDC where he was able to secure for the company a patent for a “Radial Valve Injection System” used in the semiconductor field to provide sharp transitions between one gas layer and another.

From there he worked for other companies and product lines, such as Adidas, Freightliner, Sacuratos, and others, until at age 62 he took an early retirement, and opened up the opportunity to do a lot of things he had wanted to do for many years that made him happy, such as a couple missionary in the Navoo temple missions from 2008 to 2009. Darrell was extremely involved in his church and served as a Bishop for five and a half years, during which time he officiated over 48 funerals and 12 weddings.

In December 2016, Darrell was diagnosed with stage-4 bile duct cancer with 4 months to live. With a 13-hour long surgery, he was pronounced clear of that cancer. But in May of this year, it reoccurred and was very aggressive, resulting in his death on July 4, 2018.

He will be missed by his family and friends. With his testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ firmly sealed on his lips, he wants the world and his family to know that God the Father Lives, That His Son Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of all Mankind, and that the Holy Ghost is our comforter and testator to all the things you have heard or read in this testimony.

A funeral service will be held in Darrell’s memory at 10 a.m. on July 17, 2018, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1824 E. 16th Ave, Post Falls, ID 83854.

English Funeral Chapel, Post Falls, has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please sign Darrell’s online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.

November 17, 2018 at 5:00 am | Coeur d'Alene Press
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